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Tokyo Calling

2013-10-11T13:46:53+00:00

There is something reassuringly comforting about not having a clue where you are, not being able to understand a single sign and basically, being a ‘fish out of water’. All too often when we travel the world for Formula 1 it feels as if you have barely left the UK. You see the same brands on the high street, the food is the same cosmopolitan mishmash of pizza, pasta and chips and almost everyone you see in the small towns and villages we stay in is connected to F1.

Not so in Korea and Japan and that is one of the most exciting things about coming to the Far East. All of a sudden nothing is as expected. Everything is new, different, strange – I love it.

In Korea we stay in 'love motels 'with half full bottles of hair products and used combs. The taxi drivers speak absolutely no English and even trying to get to a local restaurant is tricky.

I was lucky enough to be on a flight from Singapore to Seoul that had some language lessons on the entertainment system so I plugged in and rather than watching The Internship, I learnt the basics of Korean and Japanese. I can now say thank you, I don’t understand, goodnight and what’s your name in both languages, with varying levels of success (apparently my Korean accent was rubbish but my Japanese very acceptable).

After the Vettel dominated performance in Mokpo some of the drivers chartered a private jet and travelled straight to Tokyo from the local airfield near the track. I heard Lewis Hamilton was on there with Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg, to name a few. For us mere mortals it was a slightly different journey involving planes, trains and automobiles.

We left the circuit and headed for our love motel to check-out. I took great joy in asking Mr Jung, the manager, ‘where are the toilets?’ in Korean and getting an answer! After that it was a taxi ride to Mokpo station and a 3 hour journey back to Seoul. The trains in Korea are brilliant; free internet and each time the guard comes into, or leaves, the carriage they bow!

It raised a few eyebrows when Gary Anderson, Ben Edwards, Jonathan Legard and I recorded the Chequered Flag show on the 22.20 KTX train to Incheon. Finally, we arrived in the centre of Seoul and got a taxi (incidentally pronounced Tack-shi in Korean) to our hotel where I would spend six hours before having to head off again to the airport.

The alarm went off all too early. We headed to the airport and a flight to Narita, near Tokyo. Now this almost never happens but I was given an upgrade when I got to the check-in counter and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was. It may well have only been a 2 hour flight but sat there in my reclining seat I couldn’t help but smile to myself…and then fall asleep!

All too soon the flight was over and we were at Narita. The prettiest, lace bedecked taxi was our carriage for the last part of our journey to Tokyo as the sun set over the city. It’s a spectacular skyline and a stunning city, even if the driving is a little scary and the roads are full almost all of the time.

Almost 24 hours after the drivers on their ‘uber’ plane left the track for Tokyo we arrived, slightly dishevelled but happy, hungry and heading for the highlights of a city that never sleeps.

Temples, gardens, palaces, shopping arcades, dried fish, fresh fish, rice pancakes, vending machines and electronic centres that make your mind boggle. At the famous Shibuya crossing hundreds of people cross in all directions in a feat of traffic engineering that even Gary Anderson would be proud of; that makes the crossing at Oxford Circus look like grade one planning.

One of my favourite places was a small temple that I found right in the heart of the Ameyoko shopping streets. Imagine somewhere like Carnaby Street with all it’s hustle and bustle and then tucked away up a few small steps a serene temple with smoke from incense sticks wafting attractively in the air. I didn’t go in, it seemed inappropriate but from the other side of the pathway, among the cheap shampoo and toothbrushes in a stall; I took a moment just to look and marvel at how old and new Japan mingle in the most unlikely way.

In contrast to the quiet calm of Tokudai-ji temple (as @teru_kidokoro informed me) my next stop was the Sensoji temple in Asakusa. Thousands of tourists flock there every day to walk down the famous market street Nakamise with gold and yellow leaves hung over the shops jangling in the breeze, and the smell of soya-bean pancakes making your mouth water.

There is a huge Chinese lantern hanging from the rafters of the temple and to the left of the complex a five-storied pagoda looms over the tranquil gardens that sat next to the throng of the temple rather incongruously.

Inside the temple you can make wishes and there is even a fortune telling tradition. You pay 100Y and shake a silver cylinder full of sticks whilst making a wish. One stick comes out and directs you to the corresponding drawer with the same sign on it. You put the stick back and open the drawer and in it is your fortune.

I don’t know if I should worry – mine said ‘employment should be stopped’ among other things!

Sticking on the tourist trail our final night in Tokyo was spent having dinner in the restaurant where Kill Bill was filmed (supposedly) called Gonpachi. We ate Sashimi and flame grilled Skewers and talked about how amazing Japan is; a country so respectful and kind, where manners are most important. In fact, if you leave a tip for your waiter, they will come running after you to give it back to you!

Our final Tokyo mission was to get the Bullet train (the Shinkansen) to Nagoya and then across to Yokkaichi, the destination for the final leg of my month in the Far East.

Next stop Suzuka and Vettel could be crowned World Champion for the 4^th time if he can win and his Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso fails to finish in the top 8.

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F1 on the road - next stop Korea

2013-09-26T13:49:45+00:00

Sebastian Vettel proved his 2013 driving skills are more finely tuned than ever as he took his third straight win at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Some races are exciting and thrilling with battles from start to finish. Not this race, after the first lap where Nico Rosberg, in his Mercedes, tried to challenge Vettel it looked like it was game over.

Fortunately (for some) Daniel Ricciardo brought some excitement to the proceedings when he crashed on lap 26. From that point (with the exception of Vettel) there were some amazing battles and trying to pick a driver of the day was pretty tough.

Alonso made a fantastic start, Webber made the most overtaking moves, Kimi with his bad back drove from 13th on the grid to 3rd place. There are plenty of options. For my money Paul di Resta would have been the driver of the day coming from 17th on the grid to 6th. Alas, 55 laps of genius were wiped out with a crash that ended his race.

So Vettel was dominant in Singapore (again, having won the last two races there previously) but there were two subjects that were the talk of the paddock as the clock ticked past midnight in the sultry heat of Asia, Webber's taxi ride and superstars.

Mark Webber's race ended in a fiery mess on the final lap as his Red Bull gave up the ghost so he hitched a lift back to the pit lane with Fernando Alonso. Great scenes, reminiscent of Senna and Mansell in 1991 at Silverstone. However, there was one difference. Mark Webber walked back onto the track without the permission from the marshalls and Fernando Alonso stopped on a blind corner to pick up his mate. That forced both Mercedes drivers to take evasive action to avoid wiping Webber out. So a 10-place grid penalty for the Aussie in Korea next time out after getting his third reprimand of the season. He wasn't best pleased.

And as for superstars, I know I have one of the best jobs in the world but when it comes to Singapore under the floodlights, stars gather like moths to flames and my job has that extra special something. The grid was jam-packed with celebs and wannabe's, reporters and presenters - and of course, photographers crammed around David Beckham as if someone was handing out free money.

I was lucky enough to interview Beckham on the grid. It was quite an experience seeing the world from his point of view for a minute of my life. Flash bulbs went off in every direction and his beefy bodyguards quietly ushered people out of the way. They didn't do such a good job at getting him out the way of Romain Grosjean's car so I did that, Beckham owes me I think.

Sir Tom Jones was also at the Grand Prix and getting his first experience of Formula 1, he wasn't in the most chatty of moods when we spoke to him on �� Radio 5 live but he did raise a smile when I asked him if anyone had thrown their knickers at him in Singapore.

Magician Dynamo was at the race too - I think many listeners were wishing he could magic away Sebastian Vettel and let someone else have a turn at the title but the Bradford born magician just waved at the fans and could do nothing more than watch on at the spectacle of Seb.

Next stop for the F1 Championship, Korea.

Catch up on the action from Singapore in the Chequered Flag Podcast.

The F1 travelling roadshow in the Far East

2013-09-20T14:02:55+00:00

6741 miles from home and it's the start of three races in the Far East and my F1 long haul journey.

For the next month I will be on the road, starting with covering one of the most glamorous races on the calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix. Then to the vastly different Korean GP where there are more team members and F1 personnel than spectators, and finally on to Japan for one of the most loved circuits by the drivers, Suzuka.

Along the way I'll try and give you a little insight into what it's like to be in the F1 travelling roadshow.

First of all the Singapore race. It's a night race which starts at 8pm Singapore time. However, the whole paddock (drivers and media included) stay on European time. That means going to bed at 6am and having breakfast at 2pm.

It's four times world champion Alain Prost's first time at the race. I caught up with him during the first practice session of the race weekend and he was very chatty. He told �� 5 live he believes Sebastian Vettel is better than him and the battle between Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari (if it happens) will be good for the sport.

Now as the drivers have their lunch (at dinner time) the usual rumours and intrigue flood the pit lane but I think all of us are hoping Lewis Hamilton being fastest in the session means someone can challenge Sebastian Vettel this weekend.

Hear live commentary on the Singapore Grand Prix, Sunday from 1pm on 5 live.

Formula 1: Half term for 2013

2013-08-01T14:50:36+00:00

So that’s it! The paddock is on its summer break and every factory, no matter how big or small, will close down for two weeks. It will be another four weeks until we go racing again and what a first half of the 2013 season it’s been.

Lewis Hamilton took the risk last year to leave the relative safety of McLaren and join the team at Mercedes. Would he ever be able to win a race again, let alone challenge for the Championship?

2013 looked like the season for Jenson Button. The car was performing well at the end of last year. Sergio Perez would play the young apprentice to the seasoned profession. Button and Perez would pick up where he left off at the end of 2012 and provide a real challenge to Sebastian Vettel’s three year dominance.

Well, that was the plan anyway.

Vettel was sure to have words on that matter – always a threat in a car that seems destined to challenge year in, year out.

And what of Fernando Alonso? It’s been almost 10 years since he first won a World Championship. Since 2006 the Spaniard has been through a barren patch. Yes, he has won and driven some scintillating races but could he ever really be top dog? Just a whisper away last year, surely the Ferrari team could provide him with a little more grunt to nudge past his rivals?

Then you have the black and gold flash of Lotus. A team teetering on the verge of financial trouble but with a former World Champion who doesn't like being told what to do or coming second in a race. When Kimi Raikkonen won the Australian Grand Prix it looked like this could be his year. James Allison and Alan Permain have made a beautiful car and Kimi was back to his good old Iceman-self. Little did we know Allison would be out of the Lotus door and seemingly homeless within six weeks.

It was all set to be an exciting start to the season. Then along come Multi-21. It already seems like an age ago that Vettel and team mate Mark Webber came to blows at 200kph. It appeared the wheels had fallen off the Red Bull wagon. The situation was untenable .Surely it was only a matter of time before either Webber or Vettel would have to go. Within three months Webber had called time on his journey as wingman to Vettel and announced his retirement from F1 in pursuit of happier times at Porsche in Sportscar racing. One of a few men willing to speak his mind, Mark Webber will be a great loss to the F1 paddock. I hope someone picks up that mantel next season.

Of course we can’t mention the F1 season without talking tyres. They have baffled, confounded and confused even the brainiest boffins in the paddock to the point where Mercedes and Pirelli decided to run a test after the Barcelona race. Ooooops! Caught red handed by Sebastian Vettel and co at Monaco, there were a lot of questions for Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn and his colleagues. Around the same time pressure was mounting on Brawn, Paddy Lowe was on his way to Mercedes and it looked like too many cooks would spoil the broth.

Little did we know it would actually create the most sensational soup of the season. By far the best combo of drivers this year has to be Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It seemed to many that Rosberg would go from the shadows of Schumacher to the wing man for Hamilton. With only one win in a career spanning over 100 races it seemed difficult to imagine the young German could turn his fortunes around so firmly. That was until his first win of the season at Monaco, his second at Silverstone, then the pole positions and generally impressive driving. What had happened to Nico?

Test-gate led to a hefty court case in front of the FIA tribunal in Paris for Mercedes and Pirelli.

The penalty ? A reprimand (i.e. a slap on the wrist) and forfeiting the chance to test the tyres again at the Young Drivers Test at Silverstone in July.

Talking of Silverstone, what an explosive race – literally. Tyres were blowing up left, right and centre, but mostly left. Alonso was lucky to walk away from the track according to Christian Horner. Alonso had described the incident as if knives or bullets were flying at him from the tyre of Sergio Perez. Alonso was indeed a lucky boy that day – not lucky enough to win but at least he wasn’t injured.

Wholesale changes were authorized and Pirelli were able to change their rotating rubber. The steel belt was out, the Kevlar belt was in and the 2013 compounds would be married with the construction of 2012. It would be game on again from Hungary where these new tyres would be introduced.

Bad news, really bad news for Force India. Storming into the season they have impressed. Paul di Resta (the new improved version, with a smile and a much happier disposition) was all of a sudden able to drive his car with a beauty that belied the budget of the team. Team mate Adrian Sutil didn’t have much luck, but his talent was undeniable and all of a sudden the Silverstone based team were battling McLaren week in week out. However, heads are definitely down after Hungary. Both cars retired, no points scored, but on the bright side McLaren are still below them, placed 6^th in the standings.

Williams are having a nightmare of a season. A single point scored from Maldonado in race 10. Sir Frank Williams called their slump in form “embarrassing”. Pat Symonds is on the summer transfer list and will make his way from Marussia to Williams in the break. For the start of the second part of the season Symonds will bring honest observations to a team desperately in need of a boost.

And what about THAT seat? Mark Webber is off but who will be joining Vettel in the Red Bull team next year? It seems like most drivers have had a word with Christain Horner and co - but, who wouldn’t? It’s a plum seat for someone. Daniel Ricciardo is Webber’s tip for the seat. Vettel told me he would like to race with the Iceman, but the latest rumour is that Alonso could be interested in making a switch. Yes, he may well have a 5 year contract with Ferrari but there are certain triggers in any contract and much like Suarez moving to Arsenal, it’s not out of the question - now that would really mix things up!

Sauber are struggling with funds and it looks like Russian money could come to rescue them, but only if the cheque rumoured to be for over 100m euros arrives. As yet we believe it hasn’t. Russian driver Sergey Sirotkin will be driving for the team next season and at the tender age of 17 he will become the youngest ever F1 driver. Will he be like a lamb to the slaughter? I hope not, but the team has to survive, even if that means selling its soul to the F1 money devil.

Both of my �� colleagues James Allen and Gary Anderson think the title will go to Sebastian Vettel. I’m not so sure. Maybe a change is wishful thinking, but with Lewis Hamilton finally converting his third consecutive pole position into a win, this could be just what the doctor ordered for the man with the broken heart.

Nine races to go and the season is very much alive. Roll on the fantastic sporting arena of Spa and Monza after we all have (I think) a well-deserved break.

Happy holidays gang!

On the pitwall with the Marussia F1 team

2013-06-13T08:16:21+00:00

During free practice 3 at the recent Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal I had the chance do something I have never done before in 23 years in F1: to go on a team’s pitwall stand. I’ve listened in on team radio and observed in plenty of garages, but never sat plugged into the famous ‘prat perch’ and got a detailed insight into operations.

It gave me a chance to get closer to the sport; to really understand how a team like Marussia operates. It was an eye-opener.

With Marussia technical director Pat Symonds staying in the UK that weekend, there was a spare seat on the pitwall. Marussia’s sporting director Graeme Lowdon offered it to me for the Saturday morning session. I was given Symonds’ radio and plugged into the main desk, meaning I could hear all the radio traffic for both Jules Bianchi’s and Max Chilton’s cars, along with any intercom messages on the pitwall.

It provided a unique window in on the operations of the team. It is all about clear communication and fast, clear, decision making.

That Saturday morning FP3 session was wet and the start was delayed by barrier repairs, but when it started it was all about deciding when to go onto slick tyres. It provided a fascinating case study in how a team makes a crucial decision like this.

The level of discussions and real time analysis was as impressive as you would expect. They knew exactly what everyone else was doing, how the crossover point from intermediate to slicks had been hit by Gutierrez on a sector by sector basis. At one point the engineer in charge Dave Greenwood observed, “if we were racing we’d have gone to slicks by now.”

With just two hours to prepare the cars between FP3 and qualifying, the highly experienced team principal John Booth knew that he didn’t want to put excessive pressure on his rookie drivers to try to set times on slicks on a cold, damp track and face possible crash damage. But at the same time, they are here to learn and those last few laps on slicks were an invaluable learning exercise.

Some experienced drivers like Webber and Alonso went out on slicks first. The track was cold and the tyres were taking their time to come up to temperature. The Williams pair went out and then suddenly the decision was made to send Marussia’s drivers out. It was well judged; despite final analysis showing they waited about 90 seconds longer than was ideal they still got enough timed laps to get a sense of the conditions, should qualifying turn out the same way. In the end it was wet and they never got to slick tyres.

To help them make the vital decision on timing, the management figures on the pitwall have screens in front of them that are an Aladdin’s cave of software and real time analysis tools. At the click of a mouse it was possible to view the runs of each driver to make quick and easy comparisons. There was also a tyre degradation chart, showing the drop off in performance of each car. In all there were dozens of ways to look at and analyse what was going on.

All F1 teams have their own driver tracker graphic, which shows where its cars are on the circuit. Marussia’s is a circle with clear delineation points. It shows the gaps in the traffic and the cut off points for decision making, such as for when a car should come in to the pit lane. It also has a countback facility, which recalibrates timings based on the car’s progress around the track.

With seven minutes to go in the session, on a damp but drying track, Greenwood knew at a glance that it was possible to complete four-and-a-half timed laps. It meant that Chilton’s engineer was able to inform his driver exactly what time he had left, and so by pushing a bit harder on the out lap Chilton duly got all his timed laps in.Interestingly, while Bianchi struggled to get the slicks up to temperature in those conditions, Chilton managed it and set a good time. Greenwood is an experienced engineer; he worked with Fernando Alonso at Renault in the mid 2000s.

Marussia has a deal with McLaren for this kind of support and they have modified McLaren’s system for their own purposes.

What struck me the most about the experience is the high level at which the team operates. The difference between the backmarkers and pace-setters in F1 is now the smallest it has ever been.

James Allen is �� Radio 5 live's Formula 1 commentator. You can read more from James on his website (external link). The Chequred Flag podcast, featuring a review of the Canadian Grand Prix (recorded before the annoucement of the death of a race marshal) is available here.

Warring wheel spinners

2013-04-23T09:49:05+00:00

There are times when normally mild, pleasant and friendly drivers are pushed to the limits. Sunday was one of those days for the McLaren driver Jenson Button who ended up having to fight his own team-mate, Sergio Perez at over 180 miles per hour.

This season we have seen some pretty fierce rivalry between team-mates. It started with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber duelling in Malaysia and the whole ‘multi-21-gate’. Then there was the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg (although they seemed to settle their on track tussle without coming to blows).

In China, it was the turn of the Sahara Force India drivers to take 10 paces and trade handbags at dawn as Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta battled for position against each other and almost suffered the price of taking each other out of the race.

This time round it was the turn of the McLaren pair. Midweek Martin Whitmarsh had told his young charge, Sergio Perez, to toughen up and take a more aggressive approach to life in F1 this season. It seems the advice was taken as the Mexican's elbows came out and he almost come to blows with Jenson Button.

A little too aggressive maybe? Certainly it seemed that Jenson thought so as he spoke to the team on his radio "He just hit me" came the cry over the intercom. It was certainly explosive stuff and right after the race I spoke to both drivers and Martin Whitmarsh.

First Jenson Button had his say, "It was a fun race – lots of good fighting, most of it clean. The only person who wasn’t was my team-mate, so surprising. I wouldn’t say it was aggression, just something you should learn in your early formulas.

"Banging wheels at 300 kilometers per hour isn’t something we do in Formula One normally, so it’s a new thing to me. Maybe this is the way we go racing now I don’t know but its not the way I want to go racing."

There was no sign of contrition from Perez though and when I spoke to him he had a very large smile across his face and seemed happy to celebrate his highest finish with the team - sixth place, "I think today was a little bit too hard the fight between me and Jenson. We touched a few times but you are just there and you have adrenaline and you want to take the place from your team-mate but definitely I think it was a little too much.

"I think I was too aggressive but he was as aggressive as me. This is something we have to speak between me and him and not speak to the media about it."

And what did Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh make of it all....not a lot. It's racing as far as he was concerned.

"Some of the driving was marginal between the two of them but that’s what happens if you allow your drivers to race. We allow our drivers to race.

“I had a lot of noise in my ear from people suggesting I should stop them but it was the right thing in the long term for both drivers to know they’re racing each other."

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the meeting between the three of them.

I wonder who the next warring wheel spinners will be? Duelling team-mates seem to be all the rage this season.

Maybe it's the turn of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa next, who knows? As the F1 circus prepares to return to Blighty and embark on the European season, there's certainly plenty to talk about and plenty of people being crossed off each others Christmas card lists.

Get the Chequered Flag download reviewing the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Have you heard the one about the woman and the car?

2013-04-15T09:53:57+00:00

There are hundreds of ‘hilarious’ jokes made about women drivers. However, as more female drivers make their mark in motorsport the last laugh could well be on our male friends.

It’s over 35 years since the last female took part in a Formula 1 race, but the tide is turning. For a �� 5 live F1 special I decided to find out how close we are to having a serious competitor who could take on the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

Joining me in the studio are the Williams pair of Susie Wolff, the team’s development driver, and Claire Williams, Williams’ deputy team principal. We also hear from motorsport icon Sir Stirling Moss and F1 head Bernie Ecclestone.

Let’s start with a quick history lesson. The first female to ever take to the F1 circuit was Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis who competed in 1958/59. She started three races, cruising round the circuits at the same time as Juan Manuel Fangio - who treated her like a daughter and gave her driving tips - and our very own Stirling Moss.

Next came the most successful female so far, Lella Lombardi. The Italian made 12 starts between 1974 and 1976 and is the only woman to ever have scored points in F1: ½ a point for a 6^th place finish in the 1975 Spanish GP.

Since then three women have tried and failed to qualify for a F1 race: Brit Davinia Galica, South African Desire Wilson and, most recently, Italian Giovanni Amati. Amati drove for Brabham in 1992 in three meetings.

It’s not a glittering history and it’s pretty short. So how bright is the future for women in Formula 1?

Susie Wolff made history last year when she was named as Williams F1 team development driver. She has seven years’ experience driving in DTM (German touring cars) with Mercedes. She’s also been a finalist in the BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award.

Susie knows she has to earn her place in the F1 paddock and is hopeful she can get a Young Driver test this season to do just that.

“When it was announced I was joining Williams people were saying, ‘When are you on the grid?’” she tells me. “It’s about learning to walk before you can run. It’s about proving that I’m good enough at each step of the way; you have to prove your worth at every level.”

“By no means do I think that I’m there just because I’m a girl or they want the publicity, I’ve got to be good enough to hold my place.”

There are some people in the paddock who still think that women just don’t have what it takes to drive at the top level.

Sir Stirling Moss says, “I don’t know if women have the mental aptitude to race hard wheel to wheel. I just feel, as one would expect in a fight, I don’t think women are equipped to come in and fight with men.”

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone thinks it’s unlikely we’ll see a women race in F1 any time soon, “unless someone has done something quite extraordinary in racing.”

“The only chance they would have is one of the lesser teams and they would only take someone if they come along with a good sponsor to support the team,” he says.

“Regretfully, this is what the problem is. There might be many, many, girls or ladies that could compete probably as well as some of the guys today but won’t get a chance.”

However, there is hope, according to F3 cup and GP3 racer Alice Powell. Alice is one of the brightest developing female talents we have in racing in our country. She has competed against boys and men, and beaten them repeatedly. With the right funding she could be a contender to at least test a Formula One car.

“I noticed people saying I cant get beaten by a girl but once you’ve shown you’re not useless and you have a bit of speed they give you more respect,” says Powell.

“I think it’s all about the pennies, unfortunately. Male or female, you need someone to sponsor a driver and if you want a female in Formula 1 that’s what it’s going to need.”

Will we have a female driver competing in F1 any time soon? Can Susie Wolff persuade Sir Frank Williams to give her a young driver test? Can Alice Powell get the budget to continue her career path to F1?

Interestingly, Red Bull have just signed their first female young driver. A real talent from the Netherlands, Beitske Visser is definitely one to watch and may well be the next great hope we have of seeing a woman competing in F1. Watch this space.

Listen to Women Drivers at 9.30pm on Tuesday 30 April. The programme will be available for download after broadcast here.

Behind the scenes at McLaren's Woking base

2013-02-28T10:48:52+00:00

For the �� Radio 5 live season preview special I had a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, where Jenson Button and Sergio Perez’ new cars were being prepared for the start of the 2013 season.

I’ve been to all of the F1 factories and I’ve visited MTC many times before, but this was truly special as I got to go into places that have always been “off limits” – such as the Simulator and the Operations Room and the Wind Tunnel. You can hear it all on the show which airs Thursday 28 February at 7.30pm.

The reason for McLaren’s openness was that we were recording for radio, so there were no cameras involved.

But even without cameras, the Simulator in particular has always been a closely guarded secret. McLaren invested heavily in this technology 10 years ago and got ahead of the game with it, which has brought a lot of benefits. The other top teams have caught up now, but it’s still rare to have a chance to see it.

What is a simulator, you ask? Well it looks like a giant Sony PlayStation game with a large curved screen and an F1 chassis sits in front of it, mounted on electrically operated rams.

So it’s a PlayStation with a difference. It’s so uncannily accurate that Button can drive a lap of the Melbourne circuit in it and it will be the exact same lap time to 1/1000^th of a second as he would do in the real car.

Better still, the engineers can make changes to the set-up of the car - try a new front wing or a different tyre - and he will feel it in the cockpit and the lap time will be affected by it.

Vital strategy decisions

A lot of work in F1 today goes on in the simulators as track testing of real cars is limited for cost containment reasons. It costs around £1,500 per lap to run an F1 car and a typical days testing will be around 120 laps.

Elsewhere we visited the wind tunnel, where the engineers try out new ideas for parts that will make the cars faster in future races as well as the fabrication and assembly bays where the cars are manufactured. They are mostly made from carbon composite with exotic materials like titanium and inconel.

And we saw the Operations Room where a team of engineers monitors all the on track activities when the cars are racing – even on the other side of the world - and they make vital decisions on race strategy and pit stops.

We were hosted by some of McLaren’s senior management including Sam Michael the Sporting Director and Simon Roberts the Operations Director. It’s a must for F1 fans and for anyone with an interest in just how much goes into the design and build of an F1 car.

Behind the scenes at McLaren on 5 live Sport, Thursday 28 February at 7.30pm. Get a download of the programme.

Formula One Singapore GP: When the lights go out

2012-09-25T14:35:50+00:00

Bruno Senna just couldn't keep his car on the course and consistently kissed the wall at turn 21. His weekend was a complete write-off and at this time of the year, that is definitely not what you want.

Left then right suspension, a new front wing and a five-place grid penalty for having to replace his gearbox in his final crash in qualifying. After losing KERS on lap 16 and an immense tussle with Felipe Massa, his car slowed and came to a halt on the final lap suffering from a loss of power - a costly weekend.

Michael Schumacher, Mark Webber, Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button all had an appointment in front of the stewards. The wrap sheet was pretty long and us journos were kept waiting for a healthy time as they decided what punishments to dole out.

The biggest offender had to be Schumacher. What caused the seven times world champion to mount the back of Jean-Eric Vergne's car at the end of the safety car period I do not know.

Maybe at 43 his eyes aren't quite what they used to be? Maybe he is more easily distracted than he used to be? Whatever the reason for his shunt with Vergne (which, at T14 was the same corner and the same mistake he made with Perez last year) it was not a good weekend for the German and he will go into the Japan Grand Prix with a ten place grid penalty. Some in the paddock think he got off lightly considering the ban Romain Grosjean received after his crash in Spa.

Mark Webber had another bad weekend, picking up a 20 second race time penalty after his tangle with the Sauber of Kobayashi, which dropped him out of the points.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton could well have dropped out of the championship race after his gearbox gave up the ghost as he was 'coasting' to his fourth win of the season. There was nothing he could do as his McLaren became the first retirement of the race. He is now 52 points behind leader Fernando Alonso.

There were some good weekends to be had - Sebastian Vettel got away with his brake test behind the safety car, firstly Button managed not to smash into the back of him, and secondly the stewards decided no punishment should be given to the German.

He was sailing a little close to the wind but a win is a win and his second win of the season is definitely something for him to celebrate. After the race Vettel dedicated his win to the late Sid Watkins - a really nice touch for 'The Prof' who passed away last week.

In 2010, after the Singapore Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel was 21 points off the lead in fourth place, leaving the German with it all to do and still he managed to get his hands on the title. 29 points separate him from leader Alonso and the crown - only a mad man would write him off now.

Which brings us nicely on to Driver of the Day. There are two nominees for this; Felipe Massa and Paul di Resta. Massa was masterful and aggressive and did very well to save both his car and that of Bruno Senna, as he careered under the bridge almost wiping them both out. It was nice to see some fire in the belly of the man from Brazil, but is it too little too late for a seat next year?

Personally though, my driver of the day was di Resta (and his team). They took a car that didn't seem to suit the Singapore track on Friday, stripped it back and began the whole process again. This resulted in a fantastic qualifying for Paul, equaling his best ever grid position of sixth.

After the race he said without the second safety car there was a chance he could have finished on the podium, but fourth is a great step forward, especially ahead of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg (the Force India car powered by the Merc engine).

Paul clearly has intentions of driving for a championship winning team and he showcased this weekend that he is ready for that step. Whether a seat will be there for him in 2013 is still a doubt, although my hunch is that he will step in the car of Michael Schumacher and stay with Mercedes - the team he won DTM with and the team powering his current car.

Talking about driver movements (as we have to at this time of year) my analogy of the paddock being a little like the back yards of a small market town, tittle-tattle being discussed over fences and while hanging washing up, doesn't seem too far off the mark.

Everyone has an opinion but I don't think the guessing games will have to go on much longer. Maybe only until the middle of this week when the Paris Motor Show takes place. Will this be the day that we finally find out what Lewis Hamilton will be doing for 2013?

For what it's worth, I think he will be staying at McLaren - but what do I know?

Before we head to the first of three back-to-back fly away races my final word has to go to Marussia and Timo Glock. What a fantastic result for them at Singapore - 12th place to many would be a failure but to a new team, like Marussia, Caterham and HRT, it is dreamland - the stuff futures are made of.

So Japan and Korea await us next and maybe a driver announcement or two as well.

Remember you can get in touch on Facebook Jennie Gow-presenter or on twitter @jenniegow.

Finally congratulations to Dave Smithson who correctly predicted the first three across the line in Singapore - the first right answer from three races! A prize will be winging itself to you shortly.

Formula One: Darkness falls

2012-09-20T09:07:00+00:00

Not only is this race set to be a mouth-watering affair but also the sideshow that accompanies the journey is spectacular. This is the race where everyone stays in European time despite being thousands of miles from home. Where going to bed at 4am isn't the sole privilege of the rich and famous, partying into the small hours, but of the masses that wake when the sun is going down and who play hard (on circuit) in the middle of the night.

So how does one prepare for such a Grand Prix after the likes of Italy and Belgium? With a lot of hard work.

Singapore is physically and mentally one of the toughest races of the season for the drivers. I remember asking our �� radio 5 Live F1 pundit and former Toro Rosso driver; Jaime Alguersuari the first time we were in a car together travelling to a circuit - which is the toughest race of the year? There was no hesitation as he said it was easily Singapore.

The stifling heat of 30 degrees centigrade, the grueling two hours spent in the car, the 70% humidity and constant threat of torrential rain (not to mention the bright lights and lack of run off area) means that a lot of Formula One drivers finish the race drained, if not completely exhausted.

I remember Jaime telling me he stepped from the car and all he could see was white - his vision had completely gone. This is one seriously fit 21 year old we are talking about as well. This weekend will be a test for each of the 24 drivers and those who are scared of the dark will be punished!

So what are people saying as we go into the 14th race of the season?

Sebastian Vettel: "Singapore is one of the highlights on the calendar, because the atmosphere of a night race is amazing. I also like it because the track is really great to race on - which is partly to do with the fact that we race anticlockwise there."

Nico Rosberg: "I finished second in the race here in 2008 which was a great experience and has given me some really nice memories of this event. It's always seems strange to be driving at night, going to bed at 5am and then waking up in the afternoon but it's surprising how easy it is to adapt."

Romain Grosjean: "Since Hockenheimâ¨I haven't really had the same connection with the car as I had previously. At the start of the season I felt very comfortable and by the time we got to Valencia the sensation I had in the car was just amazing. Whether it's the tyres, the setup or something in my driving style I'm not 100% sure; we need to go through everything and find out."

Jenson Button: "We have strong pace on a range of very different circuits - and, hopefully, we can continue to push that momentum in Singapore next weekend. You need good end-of-straight speed for overtaking into Turn Seven. That's the best opportunity for passing as it also comes at the end of the DRS zone."

Martin Whitmarsh: "It's a showcase event for our sport. And it's a race that perfectly symbolises modern Formula 1: it's a brave departure from tradition that boldly works. It manages to retain all the traditional elements that makes a grand prix so magical, but the fusion of its oriental setting, glittering skyline and demanding high-speed course make it feel more like you're watching a Hollywood movie than an international sport. And that's fantastic."

Regardless what everyone is saying; the facts are clear for all to see. Fernando Alonso is leading the Championship by 37 from Lewis Hamilton and with Kimi Raikkonen in 3rd a point behind, and just one point further behind is Sebastian Vettel.

Red Bull, after Vettel's retirement with another Alternator failure and Webber not crossing the finish line, are now just 29 points in front of McLaren in the Constructors championship - with Lotus, then Ferrari still in the hunt.

Thrilling...the end of the 2012 season could be the most amazing we have seen for some time.

However, this weekend will be tinged with a great deal of sadness after the passing of 'The Prof' Sid Watkins - the former FIA medical delegate, and the man responsible for saving more lives in F1 than anyone else, passed away at the age of 84. All those who knew of Sid would have been aware that on the weekend of Ayrton Senna's death he suggested to the World Champion that maybe they should both give up the sport and go fishing instead.

I hope the two of them are looking on from above - enjoying catching up and catching some serious fishes.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had this to say about the man he brought into the sport to improve safety: "I am pretty sure that he [Sid Watkins] is irreplaceable. You only meet somebody of his caliber once in your lifetime."

"What Sid Watkins did in the way of safety in Formula 1 was incredible. He gave his whole life to that cause, to make sure that it could be as safe as it possibly could be. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his caring and commitment."

Sid was invited to join F1 in the 1978 season as its official Doctor. It was agreed proper medical facilities were needed at the tracks in order to treat drivers immediately and that helicopters should be introduced in order to get them to specialist facilities as soon as possible.

Ecclestone continued: "Sid carried all of those things through, and many more. After the accidents to Jochen Rindt and then Ronnie Peterson, I suggested that he should have a medical intervention car and that he should take responsibility for taking drivers into medical care."

"We always talked things through and worked together, and he then took care of all the medical things which I knew nothing about."

For someone I only met once, Sid Watkins left a lasting impression on me - for many in the paddock he has done much more - all are eternally grateful and at this point I would like to pay my respects to a man that has done so much for the sport I love and the drivers I watch with fascination and admiration. Rest in Peace.

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